I am already a human rights defender: Republican MP gives names of ombudsman candidates (video)
Under the New Constitution, the next human rights ombudsman in Armenia was to be nominated by the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs chaired by Elinar Vardanyan. However, the Republicans want the NA Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs to nominate the next ombudsman. Hovhannes Sahakyan, Chairman of the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs says everything is already decided. “There is a draft decision; we have discussed it with all interested parties,” he said today. Is it logical to entrust the nomination to the Standing Committee on State and Legal Affairs if there is committee on human rights affairs in the Armenian parliament? “We view the ombudsman as the defender of the rights of the constitution body… who exercises the constitutional functions and we, as a committee, think it is logical.” However, Mr Sahakyan refrained from commenting on the opinion that the Republican Party, which has no authority over Elinar Vardanyan’s committee, simply wants the human rights defender to be nominated by a ‘predictable committee.’ “No, we are just living in a delicate period and we need not make mistakes so as not to become vulnerable in the future,” he said. Hovhannes Sahakyan does not see him among the candidates for human rights defender. “I am already a human rights defender,” he said. Speaking about the potential candidates, the Republican MP said he is well-disposed to all of them, ‘starting from Gago Jhangiryan to Karen Bekaryan and Tevan Poghosyan.’ He says it is desirable that the next ombudsman be a good person with good reputation.
